Shade



r w. E. MCKINNEY SHADE Filed Nov. 19, 1938 c n 0 o 0 a o s c 0 0 o u o 0 o a n n o /N VEA/TOR WARD E. MCKINNEY f1 TTORNE Y miv lPatented June 13,1939 A i n UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHADE Ward E. McKinney, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application November 19, 1938, Serial No. 241,367

6 Claims. (Cl. 156-17):

This application is a continuation-,impart of in its uppermost collapsed position adjacent the my copending application, Serial No. 219,630, top pivot bar; led July 16, 1938. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of an up- This invention relates to shades for windows per `portion of the blind in extended position iland similar openings, comprising a plurality of lustrating the Slat-tilting member in inoperative slats adapted by their relative association andv position; manipulation to vary the amount of light admit- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a Slat-retaining ted through the opening. member adapted for attachment to individual An important disadvantage ini many of the slats to resist longitudinal displacement thereof Venetian blinds lof the prior art is that by reason Fig. 5 is an elevation of one of the tilting mem- 10 of the necessary close relationship of the slats, bers for varying the angle of certain of the slats they are diicult to clean,- all slats comprising with respect to the others comprising the blind. the blind being usually fastened together as an Referring to the drawing in detail,` the numerintegral structure.- Moreover, all slats are necesals of which indicate similar parts throughout l5 sarily held parallel to one another, which prethe several views, 6 designates a head plate 15 vents their being tilted except in unison and to adapted for attachment to a window lintel or the the same angle. like (not shown). Angle brackets 1 are secured It is a principal object of the present invenabove the window at opposite ends of head plate tion to provide a blind comprising a plurality of 6 in substantially horizontal alignment with each slats between a series of chains suspended from other. Each bracket 1 is formed with a laterally 20 a top pivot bar, said slats being removable to extending arm 8 having a bearing 9 therein for facilitate cleaning. a purpose about to be described. It will be un- Another object is to provide means for tilting derstood that thev brackets may be attached digroups of said slats to different angles with rerectly to thewindow lintel and thereby avoid the spect to eachother and theirhorizontal position. fuse of the head plate. A top bar I0 is provided, 25

Another object is the provision of means to which is triangular in cross-section, to form an maintain imperforate slats 'of a blind with their' upper fiat' surface II and sides I2 and I3 recedends in vertical alignment during all stages of ing to a rounded corner I4. Axially aligned pins their opening, closing and tilting movement. l I5 are secured by any means well known in the Still another object is to provide auxiliary sup- 'art at each end of bar III intermediate the axis 30 porting means for the lower' end of the blind to of the bar and the top at surface II. Pins I5 carry any predetermined number of slats in colare journalleclV in their respective bearings 9 to lapsed position thereon and thereby vary the pivotally support bar I0. One of the brackets is length/of the portion of the window covered 4by formed with a'slot I6 extending from the bearthe blind. j Y ing 9 therein upwardly through the edge of the 35 Another object is to provide a Slat-supporting arm 8 through which a pin I5 may be moved to bar substantially V-shaped in cross-section havfacilitate removal from and placement of the ing its ends pivoted above its axis to a head plate bar in its supporting brackets. or window lintel adapted to tilt on its points of A pair 0f flexible Slat-Supporting ladders are 40 pivot with the side edges of the 4wp portion suspended from bar I2 for Supporting a plurality 4o thereof maintaining their vertical alignment 0f SlatS I'L EaCll ladder COmPriSeS a Chain I8 with the opposite side edges of the slats, respec- 'Secured at its middle '00 the 190D Surface 0f the tive1y br asi at 9 its.:l ezrdsfeterding o/eil` oppo- Y s e s1 e e ges an o e ar an anging witllapobjects and corresponding advantages vertically therefrom. The chain I8 of which the 45 parent to those of skill in the art "from l dd m d f r d i th b d. t an examination of the following description read af r l co pos Fe etr e nu iem o .lm in the light of the accompanying drawing in o e mwn-lg" s o a ype We nown m e -art and consists of a plurality of balls 22 conwhifm' nectednand spaced apart by links 23. Below pivot F1g- 1 1S a' perspective View partially broken bar I2 the opposite vertical reaches 24 and 25 50 away with a tilting member in operative position YV3f the chain are connected by a plurality of g between Opposite Slat-Supporting hainS t0 Vary spaced transverse chains 26 which comprise the the angle of certain of the upper slats with rerungs of the ladder. The points on each vertispect to those below; cal reach to which opposite ends of the respective Fig. 2 is a` perspective view of the blind held transverse chains are connected are equi-spaced 55 from the respective edges 20 and 2I oi' the top surface of the bar, whereby each transverse chain 28 will be normally parallel with the top I I of the bar. The spacing oi' chains 26 will be preferably less than the distance between the vertical reaches 24 and 25 of the chains, i. e., the width of the top surface II o1 the bar, in order to insure the overlapping of the slats I1 when the same are tilted as will hereinafter appear. Each slat I1 is supported on the transverse chains 26. and may be removed by sliding the slat longitudinally from between the pairs of vertical reaches 24 and 25 of the respective chains I8. It being desirable to normally maintain the ends 21 of the slats in vertical alignment'with each other and the respective ends 28 of the top pivot bar, I provide a series of retaining members 29 comprising a strip of metal cut on spaced parallel lines intermediate the sides of the strip to form a tab 30 which is turned over to overlie the opposite end 3I of the strip. A seriesof sharpened lugs 32 are secured to or cut from opposite faces of the clip and extend inwardly. The end of the strip from which Athe tab 30 is cut comprises a palr'of fingers 33 forming a slot 34 therebetween. One or more retaining members are employed with each slat I1 by clamping the tab and end 3| of the member on the edge portion of the slat I1 overlying the transyerse chain 26 by which the slats are supported, at the joinder of chain 26 withV vertical reach 24 of the chains I0, and with the lingers 834 of the member engaging opposite sides of the adjacent portion of the vertical reach 24 of chains I8 to prevent longitudinal .4 movement of the slat with respect to the chain ladder.

It will be observed that the portion of the chains engaged by the respective fingers 33 may be manually withdrawn from between the lingers,` and the slats I1 thereby removed to facilitate cleaning without disengaging the members 28 from the slats.

Adjacent one or both ends of the shade, a chain 35 is provided for the tilting adjustment and auxiliary support of the slats. Chain 35 is attached intermediate its ends and slightly at one side of its middle to the top surface of pivot bar I as at 35. The opposite reaches 31 and 38 of diilerent length hang vertically from the edges 20 and 2l of bar I0 to a point slightly above the lower end of the shade when the latter is fully extended. The operator of the shade may, by pulling one of .the vertical reaches 31 or 38 of the adjusting chain 35, partially rotate bar III on pins I and thus raise and lower the respective vertical reaches 24 and 25 of each chain I8 which will simultaneously tilt the transverse chains 26 to the same angle as the top surface Il of the bar I0, thereby tilting slats I1 and varying the distance between the slats to restrict the amount of light passing through the shade. The shade is raised manually by elevating the lowest slat 39 so as to collapse the slats successively from the bottom of the shade upwardly and support the collapsed slats on the manually elevated lower slat 39. The shade may be held in any degree of collapsed or raised position by passing the longer reach 38 of chain 35 under the lower slat 39 and engaging a hook 40 of which several are securedY along the length of the longer reach 38 of the adjusting chain 35 into one of a series of eyes 4I carried in spaced relation by the shorter reach 31 of the adjusting chain. The hooks 40 are secured to the reach 38 of the adjusting chain a greater distance from the bar than are the eyes 4I with which respective nooks 4I| are adapted to engage to permit each hook to engage its complementary eye 4I at the side of the shade seen from the interior of the room.

The supporting structure for the slats I1 above described will normally hold each slat parallel to the top surface II oi.' the pivot bar I0. If the user desired to tilt certain of the lower slats to a lesser angle than those slats of the upper part of the shade, I provide a pair of tilting bars 42 having their opposite ends bifurcated to form slots 43 therein. Each bar is inserted between the groups of slats which are to be tilted to diierent angles with the bifurcations 44 of each end of the bar engaging between the balls 22 of the opposite reaches 25 and 24 of each chain I8 adjacent the lower slat of the upper group and the upper slat of the lower group, respectively, if the slats are to be tilted so as to direct light upwardly into the room. Should it be desired to tilt theA slats in the opposite direction the bars will engage the reaches 24 of each chain I8 adjacent the lower slat of the upper group between which the bars are inserted and correspondingly the opposite ends of the bars will engage the reach 25 of the chain adjacent the upper slat of those slats below the bars. This position of the tilting bars 42 will affect the maximum variation in the relative degree of tilting of the slats of the two groups. 1t will be observed that with the top surface of pivot bar I I) horizontally disposed as shown in Fig. 3, all slats of the blind will be in a horizontal position, and the bars 42 will be inoperative. Accordingly, the extent to which the top bar is tilted will determine the difference ln the angle of tilting between the groups of slats above and below the tilting bars 42. While I have shown the ends of the tilting bars 42 engaging the opposite reaches of the chain adjacent the slats, it will be understood that the bifurcations 44 oi' each end of the bars Amay engage between any of the balls of the portion of the chain I3 extending between the two groups of slats, which will result in a corresponding change in the dlierence of the angle to which the slats of the two groups above and below the bars are tilted. Shorter bars (not shown) may be employed for this purpose, i. e., bars of a length equal to the distance between the points on the chains at which the ends of bars are to engage. 'I'he bifurcations at one end of each bar may be clamped around the link with which they engage to prevent their loss when the bars are not used, i. e., when it is desired to tilt all slats to the same angle.

While I have shown but one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that numerous changes in size, shape, design, and proportion of the various parts may be made; that retaining members 29 may be provided at each side of each slat to engage opposite reaches of each chain I8; that the hooks 40 and eyes 4I may be carried by reaches 31 and 38, respectively, of chain 35, lf desired; that said chain 35 may be secured at its middle whereby reaches 31 and 38 thereof will be of equal length, and the attachment of the hooks and eyes may be spaced along the chain equidistant from the top bar whereby they will engage one another under the lower slats; and that the supporting chains, the transverse connecting chains, and the adjusting chain, or any of them, may be substituted by cords or tape, if desired, all without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined by the appended claims.

jacent the next above slat and the other end of said bar 4engaging the other vertical chain'adjacent vthe slat therebelow.

2. In a device of the character described, a pivot bar, vertical lines secured to said bar and hanging from opposite sides thereof, transverse lines secured to each ,of `said vertical lines in spaced parallel relation, a slat' carried by each of said transverse lines, a pair or adjusting lines attached to said pivot bar hanging from opposite sides of said bar,'means of attachment secured to each of said adjusting lines intermediate the ends of said .last-'named lines to engage each other under said lowest slat.

3. In a device of the character described, a pivot bar, apair of vertical lines secured to the pivot bar to hang from the sides of said bar, a plurality of transverse lines, each secured to said vertical lines, respectively, at points thereon equidistant from said pivot bar, the points of attachment of said transverse lines, respectively, to said vertical lines, respectively, being spaced apart, a slat supported on each transverse line, and a member engaging the edge of each of said slats adjacent one of said vertical lines having a pair offingers extending on opposite sides oi.'`

support said brackets in spaced relationship; a

pivot bar triangular in cross-section having a flattopand receding sides, pins attached at opposite ends of said bar intermediate the axis of the bar4 and the flat top thereof and parallel to the axis of the bar, chains hanging from each side edge of said bar, each chain comprising va plurality of balls connected by links, a plurality of transverse supporting lines, each connecting points on said chains equi-distant from said pivot bar, the points of attachment of each transverse line, respectively, being spaced from the points of attachment of the other of said transverse lines, a slat slidably supported on eachof said supporting lines. and means releasably engaging each of said slats and one of said chains to resist longitudinal movement of said slats with respect to said chains.

5. In a device of the character described, a pair ci brackets having an opening therein, means to support said brackets in spaced relationship, a pivot bar triangular in cross-section having a flat top and receding sides,pins attached at oppsite ends of said bar intermediate the axis of the bar and the iiat top thereof and parallel to the axis of the bar, chains hanging from each lside edge of said bar, each chain comprising a supporting lines, means releasably engaging each of said slats and one of said chains to resist longitudinal movement of said slats with respect toy said chains, adjusting lines connected to said pivot barv and hanging therefrom on opposite sides of said slats, and means secured to each of said adjusting lines at different distances from said pivot bar with respect to each other and `less than the length of said chains for attachment to one another under said lowest slat.

6. In a device of the character described, a pair of brackets having an opening therein, means to support said brackets in spaced relationship, a pivot bar triangular in cross-section having a fiat top and receding sides, pins attached at opposite ends of-said bar intermediate the axis of the bar and the flat top thereof and parallel to the axis of the bar, chains hanging from each side edgeof said bar, each chain comprising a plurality of balls connected by links, a plurality of' ytransverse supporting lines, each connecting points on said chains equi-distant from said pivot bar, Ithe points of attachment of each transverse line, respectively, being spaced from the points -'of attachment of the other of said transverse tive' chains and forming an acute angle with said chains.

WARD E. MCKINNEY. 

